Transglutaminase and gene encoding same

ABSTRACT

A pair of degenerate oligonucleotide primers can amplify transglutaminase-specific fragments of known transglutaminase genes. The primers are also used to obtain new transglutaminase gene products. The nucleotide sequence of a novel transglutaminase gene (termed TG X ) is presented.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was made with United States government support awarded by the following agencies:

DOD Grant No.: DAMD17-96-1-6151

NIH Grants Nos: CA14520-22S1; CA14520-24; HL21644; HL49111; HL07684; HL54462

The United States has certain rights in this invention.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Transglutaminases form a large family of protein cross-linking enzymes. Six transglutaminase gene products, mentioned below, have been characterized in higher vertebrates on the basis of their primary structure. Aeschlimann, D. and Paulsson, M. (1994) Thromb Haemostasis 71: 402-415. Enzymes of this class catalyze the Ca²⁺ -dependent transferase reaction (EC 2.3.2.13) which leads to the formation of an isopeptide bond between the γ-carboxamide group of a peptide-bound glutamine residue and various primary amines. Folk, J. E., and Finlayson, J. S. (1977) Adv. Protein Chem. 31:1-133; Lorand, L., and Conrad, S. M. (1984) Mol. Cell. Biochem. 58:9-35. Most commonly, γ-glutamyl-ε-lysine cross-links are formed in or between proteins by reaction with the ε-amino group of lysine residues. Analysis of the three-dimensional structure of the a-subunit of factor XIII showed that transglutaminases contain a central core domain containing enzymatic activity, and a N-terminal β-sandwich domain and two C-terminal β-barrel domains which are presumably involved in regulation of enzyme activity and specificity. Yee, V. et al. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 7296-7300. The catalytic core domain of transglutaminases is structurally related to the cysteine proteases and forms a similar catalytic triad, Cys-His-Asp, in the enzyme active site. This provides strong evidence for the transglutaminase cross-linking reaction being the reverse of the proteolytic cleavage reaction catalyzed by cysteine proteases. Yee, V. et al. (1996) Sem. Thromb. Haemostasis 22:377-384. Transglutaminases undergo a number of post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, fatty acylation, and proteolytic cleavage which regulate their enzymatic activity and sub-cellular localization. Aeschlimann, D. and Paulsson, M. (1994) Thromb. Haemostasis 71:402-415.

Transglutaminase C ("TG_(C) "; tissue transglutaminase, transglutaminase type II) is expressed in many cell types and tissues in the vertebrate body, including endothelial cells, fibroblasts, macrophages, erythrocytes, chondrocytes, hepatocytes, smooth muscle cells, astrocytes, heart muscle, spleen, lung, eye lens, and various epithelia such as intestinal epithelia, tracheal epithelia, mucosal epithelia, mammary epithelia, kidney tubular epithelia, etc. Thomazy, V. and Fesus, L. (1989) Cell Tissue Res. 255: 215-224; Aeschlimann, D. and Paulsson, M. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266:15308-15317; Gentile, V. et al., (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266:478-483; Weraarchakul-Boonmark, N. et al. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89: 9804-9808; Aeschlimann, D. et al. (1993) J. Cell Biol. 120: 1461-1470. In contrast to the other transglutaminase family members, the physiological function of TG_(C) remains unclear and might be diverse in different tissues or biological events. TG_(C) has been implicated in diverse processes such as stabilization of extracellular matrices in development and in wound healing, in apoptosis, and in receptor signaling. Aeschlimann, D. and Paulsson, M. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266: 15308-15317; Fesus, L. et al. (1991) Eur. J. Cell Biol. 56: 170-177; Aeschlimann, D. et al. (1995) J. Cell Biol. 129: 881-892; Nakaoka, H. et al. (1994) Science 264: 1593-1596.

Band 4.2 protein ("Band 4.2") is a membrane cytoskeleton component expressed at high level in erythroid cells. Korsgren, C. et al. (1990) Biochemistry 87, 613-617; Risinger, M. D, et al. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 5680-5685. Band 4.2 protein is the only member of this gene family that has lost the enzymatic activity to become a purely structural protein.

Platelets are the major source for factor XIII a-subunit ("FXIIIa") in plasma. Grundmann, U. et al. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 8024-8028; Takahashi, N. et al. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 8019-8023; Poon, M. et al. (1989) J. Clin Invest 84, 787-89. Platelets have been shown to contain mRNA transcripts even though they lack a nucleus, e.g. for FXIIIa (see below). Sottile, J. et al. (1989) Thrombosis Haemost. 62, 1100-1102. FXIIIa stabilizes the fibrin clot in haemostasis. Congenital deficiencies or acquired autoimmune response to factor XIII lead to a delayed bleeding tendency even though the primary haemostasis is normal due to insufficient clot stability. Board, P. G. et al. (1993) Blood Rev. 7: 229-242.

Transglutaminase K ("TG_(K) "; keratinocyte transglutaminase; transglutaminase type I) and transglutaminase E ("TG_(E) "; epidermal transglutaminase, transglutaminase type III) contribute to the formation of the cornified envelope in skin in distinct steps of keratinocyte differentiation. Kim, H. C. et al. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266: 536-539; Kim, I. G. et al. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268: 12682-12690; Kim, S. Y. et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270: 18026-18035. A congenital keratinization disorder, a distinct form of the heterogenous group of skin diseases referred to as autosomal recessive lamellar ichthyosis, has been linked to mutations in the gene coding for keratinocyte transglutaminase. Huber, M. et al. (1995) Science 267, 525-528.

Transglutaminase P ("TG_(P) "; prostate transglutaminase, transglutaminase type IV) is an androgen regulated protein involved in semen coagulation and its expression is restricted to prostate. Ho, D. C. et al. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267:12660-12667; Grant, F. J. et al. (1994) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 203: 1117-1123; Dubbink, H. J. et al. (1996) Biochem. J. 315: 901-908.

A phylogenetic analysis of the transglutaminase genes indicates an early gene duplication event which subsequently gave rise to two different lineages; one including TG_(C), TG_(E), and Band 4.2 protein; the other, FXIIIa, TG_(K), and likely also TG_(P) (Aeschlimann and Paulsson, 1994).

Because more than one type of transglutaminase can be expressed in a single cell type (e.g., keratinocytes), and since the same gene product can be present in different cellular compartments, conflicting results have been reported about the nature of the transglutaminase enzymes involved in particular biological processes. What is desired is a sensitive and rapid diagnostic assay to determine the transglutaminases involved in particular biological events. Antibodies are not well suited for distinguishing among transglutaminases because of the potential cross reactivity among the different enzymes and the limited reactivity across species.

Extensive efforts have also been made to develop applications based on the unique ability of transglutaminases to cross-link proteins. Microbial transglutaminases have found use in food processing to add texture to processed foods, in particular processed meat. Food Research and Development Laboratories, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kanagawa, Japan. FXIIIa and more recently TG_(C) have found applications as biological glues. Schlag, G., and Redl, H. (1988) Clin. Orthop. 227: 269-285; Martinowitz, U., and Schulman, S. (1995) Thromb. Haemostasis 74:486-492; Juergensen, K. et al. (1997) J. Bone Joint Surg. 79-A:185-193. Initially, FXIIIa was used as a cryoprecipitate from plasma, a product which carries an inherent risk of pathogen contamination. This has been overcome with the availability of recombinant FXIIIa. FXIIIa is also used therapeutically in patients deficient in factor XIII in the form of repeated intravenous injections. More recently, recombinant FXIIIa was also successfully used to treat chronic wound conditions such as ulcerative leg disease. Wozniak, G. et al. (1996), Sem. Thromb. Haemostasis 22: 445-450. Gene therapy with autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells transfected with an intact copy of the factor XIII gene might become an option for patients with a congenital deficiency of factor XIII. Similarly, the severe skin condition associated with TG_(K) deficiency might be treated by gene therapy although the technology for the latter tissue is not as far developed. It is likely that the list of pathologies associated with deficiencies of transglutaminases will grow as additional information on the gene level becomes available. Thus, novel genetic therapies that employ recombinant versions of transglutaminase genes are also sought.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is summarized in that a set of degenerate oligonucleotide primers can amplify DNA fragments that correspond to the highly-conserved active site region of proteins in the transglutaminase family. Each amplified fragment can be assigned to a particular transglutaminase gene because each contains restriction endonuclease cleavage sites not present in the other members of the gene family.

The invention is also summarized in that a novel transglutaminase gene, identified using the above-noted restriction endonuclease cleavage analysis, encodes an enzyme termed transglutaminase X ("TG_(X) "). The gene that encodes TG_(X) is distinguished from the known transglutaminases in that it encodes a protein with a unique sequence. Human TG_(X) furthermore includes a sequence that codes for approximately thirty amino acids inserted between the catalytic core domain and the C-terminal barrel domains not present in other transglutaminases.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for accurately distinguishing among the known transglutaminases expressed in a cell. It is another object of the present invention to detect expression of novel transglutaminase genes and proteins in cells.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the transglutaminase genes can be distinguished from one another by genetic differences rather than by less reliable immunological methods.

It is a feature of the present invention that degenerate probes flanking the highly conserved active site portion of transglutaminase genes can amplify fragments of various transglutaminase genes that can be distinguished on the basis of differences in their nucleic acid sequences.

Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1E depict the fragments amplified using RT-PCR from various transglutaminase genes using degenerate primers according to the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a strategy for amplifying fragments of the novel transglutaminase X gene.

FIGS. 3A and 3B depicts the sequence of TGx.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A single set of degenerate oligonucleotide primers can be used to amplify from messenger RNA unique fragments of DNA characteristic of particular transglutaminase genes. The bottom of Table 1 depicts suitable upstream and downstream primers, determined by comparing the sequences shown at the top of Table 1, that encode transglutaminase enzymes in humans, mice and rats. Where gene sequence from mouse and/or rat are available, these are compared directly to the corresponding human gene. Asterisks denote identity to the corresponding gene from humans.

                                      TABLE 1                                      __________________________________________________________________________     Degenerate primers for amplifying members of the                                transglutaminase gene family by PCR. h = human, m = mouse, r = rat.            I = inosine. Only human sequence is available for factor XIIIa.                The "upstream" sequences are shown as SEQ ID NOs:1-13 and the                  "downstream" sequences are shown as SEQ ID NOs:14-26,                          respectively, from top to bottom. Degenerate primer D1 is SEQ                  ID NO:13; degenerate primer D2 is SEQ ID NO:26. Here, and                      elsewhere in the application, where the applicants are unable                  to present the proper nucleotide in the Sequence Listing, the                  applicants intend that the text of the specification is                        controlling. For example, where inosine is used in an                          embodiment, N is used in the Sequence Listing.                                Gene    Upstream Sequences and                                                                             Downstream Sequences and                             Products Derived Degenerate Primer D1 Derived Degenerate Primer              __________________________________________________________________________                                 D2                                                 hTG.sub.C (1)                                                                          TATGGCCAGTGCTGGGTCTTCGCCGCCGT                                                                      TGGATGACCAGGCCGGACCTGCAGCCGGG                        mTG.sub.C  (1) **C**************G**T**A**G** **************A*****A******                                 **                                                   hTG.sub.E  (2) TATGGCCAGTGCTGGGTCTTTGCTGGGAC TGGTTTGTGAGGTCTGACCTGGGCCCC                                 CC                                                   mTG.sub.E  (2) *T***************G********A** *****C***C**A*******A******                                 A*                                                   hB4.2 (3) GATGGCCAGGCCTGGGTGTTGGCTGCTGT TGGATGACGCGGCCTGCCTTGCCCCAGGG                                     mB4.2 (4) **GAC******G*******CT********                                       *******ACA*A****AT***T****A**                        hFXIIIa (5) TATGGCCAATGCTGGGTTTTTGCTGGTGT TGGATGACAAGGCCTGACCTTCCTGTTGG        hTG.sub.K  (6) TATGGCCAGTGCTGGGTCTTTGCTGGCGT TGGATGAAGAGGCCGGATCTGCCCTCG                                 GG                                                   rTG.sub.K  (6) ********A**************C**T** **************A***********A                                 **                                                   hTG.sub.P  (7) TTTGGCCAGTGCTGGGTGTTTGCTGGGAT TGGATGAAGCGACCCTACGACGGCTGC                                 AG                                                   rTG.sub.P  (8) *****************T**CT****AGT ********AA***AGG*TCTACCCCAG                                 G*                                                   consensus TATGGCCAGTGCTGGGT.sub.---- TTTGCTGG.sub.-- GT TGGATGA.sub.--                                   GAGGCC.sub.-- GACCTGC.sub.-- C.sub.--------                                    GG                                                   sequence   Y  G  Q  C  W  V  F  A  G  V  W  M  .sub.--   R  P  D  L  P                                   .sub.----  G                                         degenerate D1  D2                                                              primer TACGGCCAATGCTGGGTITTCGCIGCAGT CCAGGGIGAAGATCAGICCTCGCCATCCA                                                 T     G           T    GG   G     C                                   G     T  TTT                                        (5'->3')                           C   C     T                                                            T   T                                             __________________________________________________________________________      (1) Gentile et al., J. Biol. Chem. 266:478-483 (1991)                          (2) Kim et al., J. Biol. Chem. 268:12682-12690 (1993)                          (3) Korsgren et al., Biochemistry 87:613-617 (1990)                            (4) Rybicki et al., Mamm. Genome 5:438-445 (1994)                              (5) Grundmann et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:8024-8028 (1986);          Takahashi et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:8019-8023 (1986)               (6) Phillipps et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:9333-9337 (1990); Kim      et al., J. Biol. Chem. 266:536-539 (1991)                                      (7) Grant et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 203:1117-1123 (1994);         Dubbink et al., Biochem. J. 315:901-908 (1996)                                 (8) Ho et al., J. Biol. Chem. 267:12660-12667 (1992)                     

The degenerate primers shown in Table 1 are to be considered preferred embodiments, but not the sole embodiments, of the invention. Of course, one skilled in the art, taking into account the nature of binding between primer and target, will appreciate that the preferred primer sequences can vary somewhat from those disclosed herein. What is important is that the primers be sufficiently related to the target that the desired portion of an expressed transglutaminase gene can be amplified and that the identity of the gene can be confirmed, for example in the manner disclosed herein. It will also be appreciated that variations in the target genetic material in a particular species may necessitate corresponding changes to the primer sequences.

One or more desired transglutaminase-specific DNA fragments can be amplified from mRNA in a reverse transcription--polymerase chain reaction using the primers of the present invention. Cellular messenger RNA that comprises one or more messenger RNA species that encode the generally highly conserved active site region of a transglutaminase protein is first reverse transcribed to make cDNA, in a manner known to the art. The cDNA is then used as a target for PCR amplification using the primers of the present invention.

The amplified PCR products can be analyzed by nucleic acid sequence analysis or by a standard restriction enzyme cleavage analysis to reveal different and distinct cleavage patterns for different transglutaminases, or to reveal heterogeneity in the population for one particular gene. Standard methods such as restriction fragment length polymorphism, or any other such method now known or in the future developed, may be suitable for diagnostic prediction.

Each amplified fragment can be separately cloned. The fragments can be advantageously cloned using a system that takes advantage of A-overhangs produced by various DNA polymerases, e.g., Taq polymerase, for example the TA-Cloning Kit commercially available from Invitrogen. The DNA sequence of each clone can then be determined to confirm its identity. To facilitate cloning of rare PCR products, the mixture of amplified DNA fragments from different transglutaminases can be cleaved with a characteristic restriction enzyme to degrade predominant known PCR products (see following paragraphs), with the remaining fragments being cloned as above. The working example confirms the reliability of the assay, in that the expected type(s) of transglutaminase is detected and shown to be expressed in each appropriate cell type.

It is preferred that the fragment amplified from each of the transglutaminase genes can also, or alternatively, be characterized by cleavage with a single restriction enzyme that cleaves at a characteristic restriction site in the amplified fragment. It is likewise preferred that the selected enzyme not cleave the other members of the transglutaminase gene family. It is also preferred that the specificity of the selected restriction site be conserved between species for a particular transglutaminase gene.

Each amplifiable transglutaminase gene can be assigned one or more restriction enzyme that cleaves the amplified fragment, but does not cleave the fragments amplified from other members of the gene family. Table 2 shows a preferred list of such enzymes for the known transglutaminase enzymes. Although this selection of restriction enzymes will likely apply to the transglutaminase genes of most higher vertebrate species, one of ordinary skill will understand that a sequence comparison should be performed for each species under study, because of the significant level of sequence variation at the nucleotide level between species.

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         Restriction enzymes for                                                          identifying transglutaminase gene products                                         Transglutaminase Gene                                                                         Selected Enzyme(s)                                        ______________________________________                                         TG.sub.C         ScaI                                                            TG.sub.E BclI or AvaI, and NcoI                                                Band 4.2 BstEII                                                                FXIIIa EcoRI                                                                   TG.sub.K Bsp1286I and NcoI                                                     TG.sub.P Tth111I                                                             ______________________________________                                    

As is detailed in the example below, the preceding analysis can also reveal previously unknown genes that are expressed. A novel gene termed TG_(X) was uncovered using this method. A fragment amplified from RNA by RT-PCR exhibited a restriction enzyme cleavage pattern different from that of the known transglutaminase genes. Upon further analysis, detailed below, it became apparent that the novel cDNA differs from the known transglutaminases in its primary sequence and in its splicing pattern. Thus the present invention includes both a method for readily characterizing known transglutaminase genes, and a method for obtaining novel transglutaminase genes, as well as the novel genes themselves.

The present invention also provides an ability to produce a transglutaminase and polypeptides or fragments thereof by recombinant means, preferably in cultured eukaryotic cells. The expressed transglutaminase may or may not have the biological activity of the native enzyme, depending upon the intended use. Accordingly, isolated and purified polynucleotides are described which code for the transglutaminases and fragments thereof, where the polynucleotides may be in the form of DNA, such as cDNA or genomic DNA, or RNA. Based on these sequences probes may be designed for hybridization to identify these and related genes or transcription products thereof which encode transglutaminases or fragments thereof. The genomic equivalents of the gene or genes can be obtained and characterized.

In related embodiments, the invention concerns DNA constructs which comprise a transcriptional promoter, a DNA sequence which encodes the transglutaminase or fragment thereof, and a transcriptional terminator, each operably linked for expression of the enzyme or enzyme fragment. The transglutaminase genes can be inserted (in whole or in part) into genetic constructs using methods known to the art. The constructs are preferably used to transform or transfect host cells, including bacterial cells, but preferably eukaryotic cells, more preferably yeast or mammalian cells or in a non-cellular expression system. For large scale production, the expressed transglutaminase may be isolated from the cells by, for example, affinity purification.

The protein can be expressed in situ for therapeutic purposes or can be purified in a manner known to the art for subsequent formulation into therapeutic or cosmetic products for topical or internal use. Nucleic acid sequences that encode the transglutaminase of the invention may be used for genetic therapy in people having a functional deficit in crosslinking, as observed in patients suffering from lamellar ichthyosis, or in people having other conditions relating to a transglutaminase having aberrant function. The recombinant transglutaminases themselves may be applied topically, e.g., on skin lesions, to facilitate wound closure.

It is also understood that the sequence encoding the transglutaminase to be expressed by recombinant means can have an altered sequence relative to the nucleic acid obtained from either a cDNA or from genomic DNA. The art understands that certain changes in nucleic acid sequence make little or no difference to the overall function of the protein or peptide encoded. For example, conservative changes, particularly in the third positions of codons, may not affect the specified amino acid. Other changes may result in an amino acid substitution which has little or no effect upon the three dimensional structure or function of the encoded protein or peptide. In addition, changes that result in insertions or deletions of amino acids may also be acceptable.

Thus, when producing a transglutaminase by recombinant means, it may be desirable in accordance with the desired use to substitute, insert or delete amino acids from the transglutaminase. Such changes can be achieved in the nucleic acid using site-directed mutagenesis methods that are well-known to the molecular biologist. Such changes are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Exemplary reasons for such changes include modulating certain properties such as catalytic activity, stability to changes in pH and temperature, and altering storage stability or half life.

It is also understood that the nucleic acid encoding the transglutaminase or fragment thereof can be combined in a recombinant expression vector with sequences that can modulate expression, for example, secretion of the encoded transglutaminase. Also, tags that can enhance detection of the encoded proteins or fragments can be added.

The invention can be applied in any animal species having transglutaminases, but the invention finds particular application in humans and other mammals and in animal systems used in the art to model the human. These include, but are not limited to, xenopus, drosophila, zebrafish and mouse.

The present invention will be further understood by reference to the following non-limiting example.

EXAMPLE

Design of PCR Primers for Amplifying Transglutaminase Gene Products--When the different known transglutaminase gene products were aligned and compared at the nucleotide level, several conserved regions were observed that could serve as targets for primers, particularly in the catalytic core domain (Table I). By PCR screening oligonucleotide primers derived from various conserved regions and plasmid DNA substrates encoding various transglutaminases, a single set of degenerate oligonucleotide primers (Table I) were identified that amplified a DNA fragment encoding the highly conserved active site region of transglutaminases visible as a single dominant band when analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide staining (FIG. 1). The degenerate oligonucleotide primers D1 and D2 are based on the amino acid sequence YGQCWVFAGV (translation of SEQ ID NO:12), which includes the active site cysteine residue, and WM₋₋ RPDLP₋₋ G (translation of SEQ ID NO:25) (Table I).

Initial attempts with shorter oligonucleotides (18 bp) based upon the conserved sequences LFNPWC (SEQ ID NO:29), QCWVFA (SEQ ID NO:30), and WNFHVW (SEQ ID NO:31) were unsuccessful. Also, degenerate oligonucleotides based on the sequence WQ₋₋ LDATPQE (SEQ ID NO:32) and F₋₋ LLFNPWC (SEQ ID NO:33) did not yield PCR products.

Cells--Primary human keratinocytes were isolated from neonatal human foreskin as described previously (Allen-Hoffmann, B. L., and Rheinwald, J. G., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 81:7802-7806 (1984)). Primary keratinocyte cultures were established on mitomycin-C treated mouse Swiss 3T3 fibroblast feeder layers in 3 parts Ham's F12 plus 1 part Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's medium containing 2.5% fetal bovine serum, 0.4 μg/ml hydrocortisone, 8.4 ng/ml cholera toxin, 5 μg/ml insulin, 24 μg/ml adenine, 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor (EGF; R&D Systems, Minneapolis, Minn.) and antibiotics (100 μg/ml streptomycin and 100 units/ml penicillin).

To induce differentiation, cells were harvested by trypsinization and cultured for the indicated time in suspension in the same medium supplemented with 1.68% methylcellulose (4,000 centipoises; Fisher Scientific Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa.) (Hines, M. D., and Allen-Hoffmann, B. L., J. Biol. Chem. 271:6245-6251 (1996)). For experiments analyzing the effect of cell density and growth factors on differentiation, cells were grown for one passage on a feeder layer in the absence of EGF. Subsequently, cells were grown for 24 h without a feeder layer before supplementing the medium with 0.5 nM EGF, 0.5 nM keratinocyte growth factor (KGF; Promega), or 10 μl of 0.1% bovine serum albumin (BSA)/ml medium for the indicated time (Hines, M. D., and Allen-Hoffmann, B. L., J. Biol. Chem. 271:6245-6251 (1996)).

Human dermal fibroblasts, TJ6F, were established from trypsinized foreskin tissue, human osteosarcoma cell line MG-63 (CRL 1427) and human fibrosarcoma cell line HT1080 (CCL 121) were purchased from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Rockville, Md.), and were cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum and antibiotics.

Human erythroleukemia cell line HEL was kindly provided by Dr. Mortimer Poncz, Philadelphia, Pa., cultured in suspension in RPMI 1640 medium containing 12% fetal bovine serum, 1 mM pyruvate and antibiotics, and induced to differentiate with 1.25% dimethyl sulfoxide for 2 days (Martin, P., and Papayannopoulou, T., Science, 216:1233-1235 (1982)).

Human platelets were collected as described (Sottile, J. et al., Thrombosis Haemost, 62:1100-1102 (1989)), and a contamination with leukocytes or red blood cells was ruled out by phase contrast microscopy.

Amplifying transglutaminase--specific sequences by PCR using degenerate primers--Poly(A)⁺ RNA was obtained from about 10⁶ cells or 10 μg total RNA by oligo(dT)-cellulose column chromatography using the Micro-Fast Track Kit (Invitrogen, San Diego, Calif.) and was recovered in 20 μl 10 mM Tris/HCl, pH 7.5. The poly(A)⁺ RNA (5.0 μl) was reverse transcribed into DNA in a total volume of 20 μl using the cDNA Cycle Kit (Invitrogen) with either 1.0 μl of random primers (1 μg/μl) or oligo(dT) primer (0.2 μg/μl). No difference in the amount or nature of the PCR-product was observed when the reverse transcription was done with random or oligo(dT) primers. cDNA from human prostate carcinoma tissue was kindly provided by Dr. Erik J. Dubbink, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Dubbink, H. J. et al., Biochem. J., 315:901-908 (1996)).

PCRs were carried out with 2.5 units of Taq DNA polymerase (Fisher Sci.) and 25% of the reverse transcriptase reaction mixture (5.0 μ) in 100 μl of 10 mM Tris/HCl, pH 8.3, 50 mM KCl containing 2 mM MgCl₂, 0.2 mM dNTPs and 50 pmol of the transglutaminase-specific degenerate oligonucleotide primers D1 and D2 (Table I). The PCR cycles were 45 sec at 94° C. (denaturation), 2 min at 55° C. (annealing), and 3 min at 72° C. (elongation). A total of 37 cycles were made, with the first cycle containing an extended denaturation period (6 min) during which the polymerase was added (hot start), and the last cycle containing an extended elongation period (10 min).

A 230 bp fragment corresponding to the active site of transglutaminases was amplified with degenerate primers D1 and D2 (Table 1 and FIG. 1) by RT-PCR from A)MG-63 osteosarcoma cells (lane A2), B) HEL erythroleukemia cells (lane B1), C) platelets (lane C1), D) keratinocytes (lane D1) and E) prostate carcinoma tissue (lane E1). Cleavage of the PCR-products with restriction enzymes revealed the type of transglutaminase expressed: Sca I, TG_(C) ; BstE II, band 4.2 protein; EcoR I, factor XIII a-subunit; Bsp1286 I, TG_(K) ; and Tth111 I, TG_(P). In osteosarcoma cells, ScaI (lane A3), Bsp1286 I (lane A4), and Sca I+Bsp1286 I (lane A5) reveal TG_(C) and TG_(K) ; in erythroleukemia cells, Sca I (lane B2), BstE II (lane B3), and Sca I+EstEII (lane B4) reveal TG_(C) and band 4.2 protein; in platelets, EcoR I (lane C2), Sca I (lane C3), and EcoR I+Sca I (lane C4) reveal factor XIIIa and TG_(C) ; in keratinocytes; Bsp1286 I (lane D2) reveals TG_(K) ; and in prostate carcinoma tissue; Tth111 I (lane E2), Sca I (lane E3), Bsp1286 I (lane E4), and EcoR I (lane E5) reveal TG_(P), TG_(C), TG_(K), and factor XIIIa. DNA-fragments were analyzed by electrophoresis in 1% agarose gels calibrated with the 1 kb-DNA ladder (lane AI; Gibco BRL).

The PCR products were purified by agarose gel electrophoresis, recovered with the Wizard PCR Preps DNA Purification System (Promega) and cloned by taking advantage of the 3' A-overhangs generated by Taq DNA polymerase using the Original TA-Cloning Kit (Invitrogen). Plasmid DNA was prepared with the Wizard Minipreps DNA Purification System (Promega) and sequencing performed by the dideoxy chain termination method using the Sequenase Version 2.0 Kit (United States Biochemical, Cleveland, Ohio). Clones containing amplified DNA sequences derived from the predicted transglutaminase gene were obtained in each case.

The observed expression profiles are shown in Table 3. The only departure from the expected expression pattern of transglutaminases in the various cell types was an unexpected PCR product that did not conform to any of the expected cleavage patterns of the previously characterized transglutaminase gene products. The novel gene corresponding to this product is termed Transglutaminase X or TG_(X). TG_(X) was initially discovered in cultured human keratinocytes from neonatal foreskin, but TG_(X) was also present in a commercial cDNA library made from fetal human skin (18 weeks gestation, Invitrogen).

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Cell type                                                                               TG.sub.C                                                                              Band 4.2 TG.sub.K                                                                            Factor XIIIa                                                                           TG.sub.E                                                                             TG.sub.P                           ______________________________________                                         Primary dermal                                                                          +                                                                       fibroblasts                                                                    Fibrosarcoma +                                                                 HT 1080                                                                        Osteosarcoma +  +                                                              MG-63                                                                          Erythro- + +                                                                   leukemia                                                                       Cell line HEL                                                                  Platelets +   +                                                                Primary  +*  +  n.d.**                                                         Keratinocytes                                                                  (induc. to diff)                                                               Prostate +  + +  +                                                             carcinoma                                                                      tissue                                                                       ______________________________________                                          *only in adherent cells (prior to induction of differentiation)                **Not detected. TG.sub.E 15 only found in epidermis and hair follicles;        not detectable in primary human keratinocytes, see also Kim et al, J.          Biol. Chem 268:12682-12690 (1993).                                       

Cloning TG_(X) from human keratinocytes by anchored PCR and its deduced amino acid sequence--To obtain further sequence information on TG_(X), oligo(dT) primed double stranded cDNA was prepared from poly(A)⁺ RNA from primary keratinocytes isolated from human foreskin. The strategy of the anchored PCR is summarized in FIG. 2, and the sequence of the oligonucleotide primers is given in Tables 1 and 4. Primers were numbered and were used for amplification of TG_(X) specific sequences as indicated in FIG. 2. "D" indicates degenerate primer; "S", TG_(X) specific primer. Forward primers (sense) are labeled "f", reverse primers (antisense) "r". The following abbreviations are used for degenerate positions in oligonucleotides: M=A,C; R=A,G; S=C,G; W=A,T; Y=C,T; I=inosine.

To exclude sequence mutations introduced by Taq DNA polymerase, all DNA fragments were amplified at least twice in independent reactions, and the sequences of the cloned PCR products from several bacterial clones were compared.

                                      TABLE 4                                      __________________________________________________________________________     Sequences of primers used for PCR of TG.sub.X (SEQ ID                            NOs:34-44, respectively, top to bottom)                                      Designation                                                                          Sequence               Orientation                                                                          Position                                    __________________________________________________________________________     D3    5'-CTCTCYTCIICISWICCYTCTGGGWAYTTGTA                                                                   r     1092-1123                                     D4 5'-TGGAIIAIGARGAIGAGMGRSARGARTATGT f 214-244                                S1 5'-TAGATGAGTATTATGACAACACAGGCAGG f 703-731                                  S2 5'-AGGATTTTGGGGAATAAGAAGAAGGATAC f 729-757                                  S3 5'-TCCTTCTTCTTATTCCCCAAAATCCTGCC r 726-754                                  S4 5'-TTCACCAGGACACGAGTTCTGTTGGCA f 1009-1035                                  S5 5'-CAAAGAGCATCCAGAGTGACGAGCGGG f 1048-1074                                  S6 5'-TCTGTGGCTGGGTCAGTCTGGAAGTGC r 368-394                                    S7 5'-TGTCIATAGTTICAGGGAIATGGGCGG r 290-316                                    S8 5'-CAGTTCTTGCTGCCTTGGTAGATGAAGCC r 258-286                                  S9 5'-GGGCTGTCCTGGCTCAGTGATGTGGGC r 1208-1234                                __________________________________________________________________________

The upper line in FIG. 2 represents the cDNA for TG_(X) with the start and stop codon indicated. Brackets indicate an alternatively spliced sequence located toward the 5' end of the coding region. Below is an outline of the PCR strategy, showing the consecutive PCR reactions performed with nested oligonucleotide primers to obtain PCR products that can be visualized in ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels. The length of the final PCR products is given on the right. The oligo(dT)-Not I unidirectional primer (Invitrogen), 5'-AACCCGGCTCGAGCGGCCGCT.sub.(18) (SEQ ID NO:45), was used as the 3' anchoring primer. The abridged anchor primer (Gibco BRL), 5'-GGCCACGCGTCGACTAGTACGGGIIGGGIIGGGIIG (SEQ ID NO:46), was used as the 5' anchoring primer. In this case, the subsequently used primer for nested PCR was a shortened oligonucleotide, universal amplification primer (Gibco BRL), which included the first 20 nucleotides of the abridged anchor primer.

Briefly, sequences of the 3'-end of TG_(X) were amplified by consecutive PCR reactions using degenerate primer D1 and TG_(X) -specific primers S1 and S2 together with degenerate primer D3 which is derived from the conserved amino acid sequence YKYPEGS₋₋ EER (Amino acids 443 to 453 in TG_(X)). The residual 3'-sequence was amplified by sequential PCR reactions using TG_(X) -specific primers S1, S4 and S5 in combination with the oligo(dT)-Not I primer used for cDNA priming. Sequences 5' to the active site were amplified in consecutive PCR reactions using degenerate primer D2 and TG_(X) -specific primer S3 together with degenerate oligonucleotide D4 which is based on an upstream cluster of conserved amino acids, i.e. LD₋₋ E₋₋ ER₋₋ EYV (Amino acids 150 to 160 in TG_(X)).

Attempts to amplify sequences upstream of primer D4 with additional degenerate oligonucleotides failed. To obtain more information on the 5' end of TG_(X), a 5'-RACE approach (Frohman, M. A. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85:8998-9002 (1988)) was used. A poly(dC) tail was added to the cDNA using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase to anchor the PCR reaction with an oligo(dG) primer (abridged anchor primer). Subsequent reactions with nested primers yielded TG_(X) related PCR products (see FIG. 2).

Heterogeneity of the sequence upstream of primer D4 was encountered, causing considerable difficulties in obtaining 5' sequence. Three different sequences have been obtained upstream of the sequence EDAVY (Amino acids 145 to 149 in TG_(X)). Two TG_(X) sequences, a long form and a short form, have been characterized and are described below. In FIG. 3, the full length sequence of the short version of TG_(X) is shown (3A) with dots marking the position of the 82 amino acid insert (3B) in the long version. The initiation and termination codons are underlined. (See also SEQ ID NO:47 which shows the long version of the TG_(X) cDNA and SEQ ID NO:48 which shows the translation of that sequence. The initial methionine shown in SEQ ID NO:47 and 48 is not present in the mature protein, so references herein to particular amino acid numbers in the mature protein are offset by 1 from the numbers shown in the Sequence Listing, unless otherwise noted. The portion that is spliced out in the short form cDNA is between bases 198 and 443 of SEQ ID NO:47. The primer binding sites for D1 and D2 are shown at nucleotides 831-860 and 1035-1066 of SEQ ID NO:47, respectively).

The short form of TG_(X) sequence contains at least 1958 nucleotides which includes an open reading frame of 1914 base pairs. The long form of TG_(X) contains at least 2204 nucleotides with an open reading frame of 2160 base pairs. The initiation codon is present in a consensus sequence (ACCATGG) identified as a signal for efficient translation in higher eukaryotes (Kozak, 1986). No polyadenylation signal (AATAAA) was recognized in the short 3'-untranslated region following the termination codon (TAA), indicating that it might be incomplete. However, repeated synthesis of double stranded cDNA and PCR with different primers under various conditions did not yield additional 3' sequence. All isolated cDNAs end within 9 to 34 nt downstream of the pentanucleotide ATAAA at position 1922, i.e. at position 1935, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1943, and 1958. This pentanucleotide has been shown to function as a polyadenylation signal in other genes (Berget, S. M., Nature 309:179-182 (1984)) and could be functional in TG_(X), giving rise to a very short 3' untranslated region.

The deduced protein for the short form of TG_(X) consists of 638 amino acids and has a calculated molecular mass of 71,915 Da and an isoelectric point of 5.9. The deduced protein for the long form of TG_(X) consists of 720 amino acids and has a calculated molecular mass of 80,764 Da and an isoelectric point of 6.0.

Expression of novel TG_(X) and other transglutaminase genes in human keratinocytes--cDNA probes spanning the sequence that encodes the two C-terminal barrel domains of different human transglutaminases were used to detect the novel TG_(X) and other transglutaminase gene products known to be expressed in keratinocytes on a Northern blot of human foreskin mRNA. Northern blot containing 3 μg of poly (A)⁺ RNA from adherent keratinocytes was probed consecutively with a ˜700 bp fragment that contained the two C-terminal beta barrel domains of TG_(X), TG_(K), and TG_(C). The blot was exposed for 3 days (TG_(X)), 4 hours (TG_(K)), or 4 days (TG_(C)). mRNA's of the expected sizes were detected for TG_(C), 3.7 kb, and TG_(K), 2.7 kb (Gentile, V. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 266:478-483 (1991); Kim, H. C. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 266:536-539 (1991)). Two different mRNA's with a size of about 2.2 and 2.8 kb were detected for TG_(X), indicating that alternative processing of the TG_(X) transcript occurs. The smaller transcript of TG_(X) is likely identical to a band of approximately 2.4 kb that had been previously detected with a degenerate oligonucleotide on a Northern blot of human foreskin RNA which was assumed to be band 4.2 protein based on its size (Kim, I. G. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 268:12682-12690 (1993)) This is further supported by the fact that the transcript for band 4.2 protein could not be detected with a specific probe. The probes displayed no significant cross-hybridization as indicated by the distinct migration of the detected mRNA's for the different gene products in the gel. The relative abundance of the transcripts for TG_(X) :TG_(K) :TG_(X) is about 3:80:1. This corresponds well with the results from the PCR amplification of transglutaminases using the degenerate primers D1 and D2.

The cDNA sequence of the short form of TG_(X) is identical to the sequence of the long form except that the short form lacks the sequence encoded by exon III in other transglutaminase genes (Table 5). The splice donor and acceptor sites for the short and long form of TG_(X) are based on the cDNA sequences and are represented in Table 5 in alignment with known splice sites in other transglutaminase genes. The TG_(X) long donor and acceptor sequences are shown at bases 435-443 and 444-485 of SEQ ID NO:47, respectively. The TG_(X) short donor and acceptor sequences are shown at bases 189-197 and 444-485 of SEQ ID NO:47, respectively. Donor and acceptor sequences for hTG_(C), hTG_(E), and human Band 4.2 are shown as SEQ ID NOs:49 and 50, SEQ ID NOs:51 and 52, and SEQ ID NOs:53 and 54, respectively. Residues consistent with the splice site consensus sequence (MAG/GTRAG and YAG/G) are underlined. The sizes of the mRNA's of TG_(X) are larger than expected from sequencing data. This is most likely due to the presence of additional 5' or 3' non-coding sequences. The smaller, more abundant mRNA might result from alternative splicing of the sequence encoded by exon III. Alternatively spliced mRNA's have been described for TG_(C) (Fraij, B. M. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 267:22616-22623 (1992); Monsonego, A. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 272:3724-3732 (1997)), band 4.2 protein (Korsgren, C. and Cohen, C. M., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 88:4840-4844 (1991); Sung, L. A. et al., Blood, 79:2763-2770 (1992); Cohen, C. M. et al., Sem. Haematology, 30:119-137 (1993)) and TG_(P) (Thelen, K., Zippelius, A., Oberneder, R., Rietmueller, G., and Pantel, K.: Genbank #U79008). No common pattern for alternative splicing is evident from the current data, and different exons are apparently alternatively processed in the different gene products. However, a band 4.2 isoform lacking exon III has been found in endothelial cells (Cohen, C. M. et al., Sem. Haematology, 30:119-137 (1993)), and a putative TG_(P) isoform lacks part of exon III (Thelen, K., Zippelius, A., Oberneder, R., Rietmueller, G., and Pantel, K.: Genbank #U79008).

                                      TABLE 5                                      __________________________________________________________________________     Gene Product                                                                           Donor Sequence                                                                              Exons Acceptor Sequence                                   __________________________________________________________________________     hTG.sub.X  long                                                                         W  C  P     III / IV?                                                                                      E  D  A  V                                   TGGTGCCCAG             AGGATGCTGTC                                            hTG.sub.X  short  V  E  T  II / IV?           E  D  A  V                        GTTGAAACTG             AGGATGCTGTC                                            hTG.sub.C  (1)  W  C  P III / IV           A  D  A  V                           TGGTGCCCAGgtgagccaca            CGGATGCTGTG                                   hTG.sub.E  (2)  W  L  N III / IV           V  D  S  V                           TGGCTGAATGgtaggtgtct  tatcaaatagTGGATAGCGTC                                   hB4.2 (3)  W  N  R III / IV           E  D  A  V                                TGGAATAGAGgtaagtttga  ctctcaccagAGGATGCTGTG                                 __________________________________________________________________________

To analyze the expression of TG_(X) in relation to terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, normal human keratinocytes were induced to differentiate by culture in suspension in a semi-solid methylcellulose medium. A 225 bp fragment of TG_(X) was amplified by RT-PCR using TG_(X) specific primers S4 and S9 (Table 4) from an identical amount of poly(A)⁺ RNA from dermal fibroblasts, HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells, MG-63 osteosarcoma cells, platelets, HEL erythroleukemia cells, adherent and non-adherent keratinocytes, and a fetal human skin cDNA library (18 weeks gestation, commercially available from Invitrogen). Normal human keratinocytes were analyzed either prior to (adherent) or after culture in suspension for 4 h (non-adherent). PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis in 1% agarose gels calibrated with the 1 kb-DNA ladder (Gibco BRL).

TG_(X) was detected in keratinocytes, osteosarcoma cells and erythroleukemia cells. Even though TG_(X) was present in adherent keratinocytes, it appeared to be induced in cells triggered to differentiate by culture in suspension. To corroborate this result, the expression of TG_(X) was analyzed by semi quantitative PCR in preconfluent and postconfluent keratinocyte cultures in the presence or absence of either EGF or KGF. EGF is well known to support keratinocyte growth, while KGF has recently been shown to attenuate differentiation specifically in hyperconfluent keratinocyte cultures (Hines, M. D. and Allen-Hoffmann, B. L. J. Biol. Chem., 271:6245-6251 (1996)). Normal human keratinocytes were treated with BSA, 0.5 nM EGF, or 0.5 nM KGF in standard medium for 3 days (preconfluent) or 10 days (postconfluent). Sequences for all transglutaminases were amplified by RT-PCR with degenerate primers D1 and D2. Amplification of a sequence specific for TG_(X) was done with specific primers S4 and S9. Amplification of a sequence specific for glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase with a control primer set (600 bp fragment; Stratagene) confirmed that equal amounts of message were present in the different samples. All primer sets span intron-exon boundaries thereby ensuring that the PCR products are derived from mRNA. PCR products were analyzed in 1% agarose gels.

A several fold increase in TG_(X) expression was associated with cell-density-induced differentiation, and a reduction in TG_(X) expression was observed in KGF-treated, as compared to untreated, cultures. Amplification of transglutaminases with the degenerate oligonucleotides showed the same general pattern, although the treatment effect was even more pronounced. The latter result is consistent with the pattern of transglutaminase activity measured in these cultures (Hines, M. D. and Allen-Hoffmann, B. L. J. Biol. Chem., 271:6245-6251 (1996)) and is likely to reflect largely the expression of TG_(K) which is the predominant type of enzyme expressed in keratinocytes.

Structural features of TG_(X) --A comparison of TG_(X) with the previously characterized transglutaminases reveals that the structural requirements for transglutaminase activity and Ca²⁺ binding are conserved in TG_(X). The overall sequence identity between TG_(X) and TG_(C), TG_(E), band 4.2 protein, FXIIIa, TG_(K) or TG_(P), is 40.1%, 42.3%, 31.6%, 32.7%, 34.9%, and 31.0%, respectively. A closer comparison shows that TG_(X) is more closely related to the evolutionary lineage that includes TG_(C), TG_(E), and band 4.2 protein than to the other transglutaminases.

The residues that make up the catalytic triad are conserved in TG_(X) (Cys²⁷⁷, His³³⁶, Asp³⁵⁹) and the core domain shows a high level of conservation as indicated by a sequence identity of about 50% between TG_(X) and the other transglutaminases.

A Tyr residue in the barrel 1 domain of FXIIIa is hydrogen-bonded to the active site Cys residue and it has been suggested that the glutamine substrate attacks this bond to initiate the reaction based on analogy to the cysteine proteases (Yee, V. C. et al., Sem. Thromb. Haemostasis, 22:377-384 (1996)). In TG_(X), the Tyr residue is replaced by His⁵⁴⁹ which is expected to be a conservative change.

Another set of hydrogen-bonded residues in factor XIIIa, His³⁴² -Glu⁴³⁴ and Asp³⁴³ -Arg¹¹ (located in the activation peptide), which have been suggested to guide the lysine substrate to the active site (Yee, V. C. et al., P.N.A.S. U.S.A. 91:7296-7300 (1994)), are not conserved in that form in TG_(X).

Crystallization experiments with FXIIIa indicated that 4 residues are involved in binding of a Ca²⁺ -ion, including the main chain carbonyl of Ala⁴⁵⁷ and the side chain carboxyl groups of Asp⁴³⁸, Glu⁴⁸⁵, and Glu⁴⁹⁰ (Yee, V. C. et al., 1996). All three acidic residues are conserved in TG_(X) (Asp⁴⁰¹ ₁, Glu⁴⁴⁷, and Glu 452)

A unique insertion of about 30 amino acids is present between the catalytic core domain and the C-terminal barrel domains in TG_(X). A pair of oligonucleotide primers specific to this region can be used to amplify a unique fragment of TG_(X), from genomic DNA. A preferred pair of such primers include an upstream primer having the oligonucleotide sequence TGCAGAAGCTGAAGGCTAGAAGC (SEQ ID NO:27) and a downstream primer having the sequence CCACATCACTGGGTCGAAGGGAAGG (SEQ ID NO:28), which together amplify a single 131 base pair band from human genomic DNA. These primers correspond to bases 1390-1412 and 1497-1521 of SEQ ID NO:47.

A second, smaller characteristic portion of the TG_(X) nucleic acid sequence is found between bases 975 and 998. This sequence, which encodes amino acids 323 to 330 of SEQ ID NO:48 (RILGNKKK), evidences no substantial similarity to, or identity with, corresponding portions of the D3 domain from other known transglutaminases. These nucleic acid sequence and corresponding amino acid sequence are, therefore, also characteristic of TG_(X).

A smaller insertion of about 10 amino acids was found in TG_(E), and TG_(E) has been shown to require activation by a conformational change occurring upon proteolytic cleavage in this flexible connecting loop (Kim, I. G. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 268:12682-12690 (1993)). Cleavage between these domains has also been observed in TG_(K) and FXIIIa. While the cleaved form of TG_(K) is highly active (Kim, S. Y. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 270:18026-18035 (1995)), contradictory results have been reported with regard to the activity of FXIIIa that has been cleaved by thrombin at this site (Takahashi, N. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 83:8019-8023 (1986); Greenberg, C. S. et al., Biochem. J., 256:1013-1019 (1988)). Proteolytic activation of transglutaminases, probably by a member of the calpain family, seems to be a common feature for the enzymes involved in epidermal differentiation (Kim, S. Y. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 270:18026-18035 (1995)), and the extended flexible (serine- and proline-rich) hinge region between the core domain and the C-terminal barrel domains in TG_(X) should be prone to proteolytic attack.

Based on the similarity of TG_(X) to the other active members of the transglutaminase protein family, it is likely that the characterized CDNA encodes an active transglutaminase. This is further supported by the fact that in band 4.2 protein which is the only member of this protein family without catalytic activity, the residues directly involved in the catalytic process are not conserved. The induction of TG_(X) in differentiating keratinocytes further suggests that it might play a role in the formation of the cornified envelope. It is noted, however, that expression of TG_(X) is not restricted to keratinocytes.

In summary, using the preferred degenerate oligonucleotides, 5 of the 6 previously characterized transglutaminases and the novel transglutaminase TG_(X) were amplified. TG_(E), which exhibits very restricted expression in the late stages of keratinocyte differentiation particularly in hair follicles (Kim, I. G. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 268:12682-12690 (1993)), was not detected. The expression of TG_(E) in human epidermis has been found to be very low and not detectable in cultured human keratinocytes (Kim, I. G. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 268:12682-12690 (1993)). Besides the expected type of transglutaminase, which turned out to be the predominant type of transglutaminase in the analyzed cell types, other, apparently less abundantly expressed transglutaminases were also detected. The abundance of the PCR product for a particular type of transglutaminase correlated with its message level detected in Northern blotting, and the sum of the PCR products for all transglutaminases correlated with the measured transglutaminase activity, at least on a semi-quantitative basis.

These results suggest that the described degenerate oligonucleotides provide an excellent tool for identifying the type(s) of transglutaminase expressed in a particular cell type and for cloning of new members of this growing gene family. The homology between vertebrate and invertebrate transglutaminases is similar to the different human transglutaminases compared to each other (Aeschlimann, D. and Paulsson, M., Thromb. Haemostasis, 71:402-415 (1994)) indicating that these primers may work in a wide range of different species including, but not limited to, mammalian, avian, piscis, and arthropod species in which transglutaminases are found (for review, see Aeschlimann and Paulsson, Thromb. Haemostasis 71:402-415 (1994); Singer et al., Dev. Biol. 154:143-159(1992); Tokunaga et al, J. Biol. Chem. 268:262-268 (1993); Weraarchakul-Boonmark et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:9804-9808 (1992); Yasueda et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 232:411-419 (1995)). Our results also show that many cell types express more than one type of transglutaminase which may explain some of the contradicting results in the literature.

The present invention is not intended to be limited by the preceding example, but to encompass all such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims.

    __________________________________________________________________________     #             SEQUENCE LISTING                                                    - -  - - (1) GENERAL INFORMATION:                                              - -    (iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 54                                           - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:1:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hTG-C upstream sequence"                - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:1:                                - - TATGGCCAGT GCTGGGTCTT CGCCGCCGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:2:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "mTG-C upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:2:                                - - TACGGCCAGT GCTGGGTGTT TGCAGCGGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:3:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hTG-E upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:3:                                - - TATGGCCAGT GCTGGGTCTT TGCTGGGAC         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:4:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "mTG-E upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:4:                                - - TTTGGCCAGT GCTGGGTGTT TGCTGGAAC         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:5:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hB4.2 upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:5:                                - - GATGGCCAGG CCTGGGTGTT GGCTGCTGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:6:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "mB4.2 upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:6:                                - - GAGACCCAGG CGTGGGTGTC TGCTGCTGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:7:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hFXIIIa upstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:7:                                - - TATGGCCAAT GCTGGGTTTT TGCTGGTGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:8:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hTG-K upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:8:                                - - TATGGCCAGT GCTGGGTCTT TGCTGGCGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:9:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "rTG-K upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:9:                                - - TATGGCCAAT GCTGGGTCTT TGCTGGCGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:10:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hTG-P upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:10:                               - - TTTGGCCAGT GCTGGGTGTT TGCTGGGAT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:11:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "rTG-P upstream sequence"                 - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:11:                               - - TTTGGCCAGT GCTGGGTTTT CTCTGGAGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:12:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "upstream consensus                                     sequence"                                                        - -     (ix) FEATURE:                                                                   (A) NAME/KEY: CDS                                                              (B) LOCATION: 1..29                                                   - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:12:                               - - TATGGCCAGT GCTGGGTNTT TGCTGGNGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:13:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "upstream degenerate primer                             D1"                                                              - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:13:                               - - TAYGGCCART GCTGGGTNTT YGCNGSNGT         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:14:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hTG-C downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:14:                               - - TGGATGACCA GGCCGGACCT GCAGCCGGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:15:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "mTG-C downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:15:                               - - TGGATGACCA GGCCAGACCT ACAGCCGGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:16:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hTG-E downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:16:                               - - TGGTTTGTGA GGTCTGACCT GGGCCCCCC         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:17:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "mTG-E downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:17:                               - - TGGTTCGTGC GGACTGACCT AGGCCCCAC         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:18:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hB4.2 downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:18:                               - - TGGATGACGC GGCCTGCCTT GCCCCAGGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:19:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "mB4.2 downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:19:                               - - TGGATGAACA GACCTGATTT GTCCCAAGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:20:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hFXIIIa downstream                                     sequence"                                                        - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:20:                               - - TGGATGACAA GGCCTGACCT TCCTGTTGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:21:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "rTG-K downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:21:                               - - TGGATGAAGA GGCCGGATCT GCCCTCGGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:22:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "rTG-K downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:22:                               - - TGGATGAAGA GGCCAGATCT GCCCTCAGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:23:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "hTG-P downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:23:                               - - TGGATGAAGC GACCCTACGA CGGCTGCAG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:24:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "rTG-P downstream sequence"               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:24:                               - - TGGATGAAAA GACAGGATCT ACCCCAGGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:25:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "downstream consensus                                   sequence"                                                        - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:25:                               - - TGGATGANGA GGCCNGACCT GCNCNNNGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:26:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "downstream degenerate                                  primer D2 - #"                                                   - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:26:                               - - CCNGGGNGHA GRTCAGNYCT YKYCATCCA         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:27:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 23 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "TG-X specific upstream                                 primer"                                                          - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:27:                               - - TGCAGAAGCT GAAGGCTAGA AGC           - #                  - #                     23                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:28:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 25 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "TG-X specific downstream                               primer"                                                          - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:28:                               - - CCACATCACT GGGTCGAAGG GAAGG          - #                  - #                    25                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:29:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 6 amino - #acids                                                   (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide                                            - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:29:                               - - Leu Phe Asn Pro Trp Cys                                                   1               5                                                               - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:30:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 6 amino - #acids                                                   (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide                                            - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:30:                               - - Gln Cys Trp Val Phe Ala                                                   1               5                                                               - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:31:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 6 amino - #acids                                                   (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide                                            - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:31:                               - - Trp Asn Phe His Val Trp                                                   1               5                                                               - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:32:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 10 amino - #acids                                                  (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide                                            - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:32:                               - - Trp Gln Xaa Leu Asp Ala Thr Pro Gln Glu                                   1               5   - #                10                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:33:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 9 amino - #acids                                                   (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide                                            - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:33:                               - - Phe Xaa Leu Leu Phe Asn Pro Trp Cys                                       1               5                                                               - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:34:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 32 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer D3"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:34:                               - - CTCTCYTCNN CNSWNCCYTC TGGGWAYTTG TA       - #                  - #               32                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:35:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 31 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer D4"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:35:                               - - TGGANNANGA RGANGAGMGR SARGARTATG T        - #                  - #               31                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:36:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer S1"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:36:                               - - TAGATGAGTA TTATGACAAC ACAGGCAGG         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:37:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer s2"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:37:                               - - AGGATTTTGG GGAATAAGAA GAAGGATAC         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:38:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer s3"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:38:                               - - TCCTTCTTCT TATTCCCCAA AATCCTGCC         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:39:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 27 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer S4"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:39:                               - - TTCACCAGGA CACGAGTTCT GTTGGCA          - #                  - #                  27                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:40:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 27 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer S5"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:40:                               - - CAAAGAGCAT CCAGAGTGAC GAGCGGG          - #                  - #                  27                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:41:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 27 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer S6"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:41:                               - - TCTGTGGCTG GGTCAGTCTG GAAGTGC          - #                  - #                  27                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:42:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 27 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer S7"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:42:                               - - TGTCNATAGT TNCAGGGANA TGGGCGG          - #                  - #                  27                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:43:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 29 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer S8"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:43:                               - - CAGTTCTTGC TGCCTTGGTA GATGAAGCC         - #                  - #                 29                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:44:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 27 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "primer S9"                               - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:44:                               - - GGGCTGTCCT GGCTCAGTGA TGTGGGC          - #                  - #                  27                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:45:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 21 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "oligo(dT)-NotI                                         unidirection - #al primer"                                       - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:45:                               - - AACCCGGCTC GAGCGGCCGC T           - #                  - #                       - #21                                                                    - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:46:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 36 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid                                          (A) DESCRIPTION: /desc - #= "abridged anchor primer"                  - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:46:                               - - GGCCACGCGT CGACTAGTAC GGGNNGGGNN GGGNNG      - #                  -      #       36                                                                       - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:47:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 2204 base - #pairs                                                 (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA                                               - -     (ix) FEATURE:                                                                   (A) NAME/KEY: CDS                                                              (B) LOCATION: 9..2171                                                 - -     (ix) FEATURE:                                                                   (A) NAME/KEY: misc.sub.-- - #feature                                           (B) LOCATION: 198..504                                                         (D) OTHER INFORMATION: - #/note= "This sequence is missing in                       TGx short - # form as a result of differential splicing"         - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:47:                               - - CAGCTACC ATG GCC CAA GGG CTA GAA GTG GCC CTC - #ACA GAC CTC CAG AGC           50                                                                                  Met Ala Gln Gly Leu G - #lu Val Ala Leu Thr Asp Leu Gln Ser                      1       - #        5          - #        10                          - - TCC AGA AAT AAT GTG CGG CAC CAC ACG GAG GA - #G ATC ACT GTG GAC CAC            98                                                                        Ser Arg Asn Asn Val Arg His His Thr Glu Gl - #u Ile Thr Val Asp His             15                 - # 20                 - # 25                 - # 30        - - CTG CTT GTT CGC CGG GGC CAG GCC TTC AAC CT - #C ACC CTG TAC TTC AGG           146                                                                        Leu Leu Val Arg Arg Gly Gln Ala Phe Asn Le - #u Thr Leu Tyr Phe Arg                             35 - #                 40 - #                 45               - - AAC CGG AGC TTC CAG CCA GGC CTG GAC AAC AT - #C ATC TTC GTG GTT GAA           194                                                                        Asn Arg Ser Phe Gln Pro Gly Leu Asp Asn Il - #e Ile Phe Val Val Glu                         50     - #             55     - #             60                   - - ACT GGA CCG CTG TCA GAC CTG GCC TTG GGG AC - #T CGG GCT GTG TTC AGC           242                                                                        Thr Gly Pro Leu Ser Asp Leu Ala Leu Gly Th - #r Arg Ala Val Phe Ser                     65         - #         70         - #         75                       - - CTG GCA CGC CAT CAC AGC CCC AGC CCC TGG AT - #T GCC TGG CTG GAG ACC           290                                                                        Leu Ala Arg His His Ser Pro Ser Pro Trp Il - #e Ala Trp Leu Glu Thr                 80             - #     85             - #     90                           - - AAT GGG GCC ACC TCC ACA GAG GTG AGC TTG TG - #C GCT CCT CCC ACG GCG           338                                                                        Asn Gly Ala Thr Ser Thr Glu Val Ser Leu Cy - #s Ala Pro Pro Thr Ala             95                 - #100                 - #105                 - #110        - - GCC GTG GGT CGG TAC CTC TTG AAA ATC CAC AT - #C GAC TCC TTC CAG GGG           386                                                                        Ala Val Gly Arg Tyr Leu Leu Lys Ile His Il - #e Asp Ser Phe Gln Gly                            115  - #               120  - #               125               - - TCT GTG ACG GCC TAC CAG CTA GGG GAG TTC AT - #C CTG CTT TTC AAT CCC           434                                                                        Ser Val Thr Ala Tyr Gln Leu Gly Glu Phe Il - #e Leu Leu Phe Asn Pro                        130      - #           135      - #           140                   - - TGG TGC CCA GAG GAT GCT GTC TAC TTG GAC AG - #T GAA CCC CAG AGG CAG           482                                                                        Trp Cys Pro Glu Asp Ala Val Tyr Leu Asp Se - #r Glu Pro Gln Arg Gln                    145          - #       150          - #       155                       - - GAG TAT GTC ATG AAT GAT TAT GGC TTC ATC TA - #C CAA GGC AGC AAG AAC           530                                                                        Glu Tyr Val Met Asn Asp Tyr Gly Phe Ile Ty - #r Gln Gly Ser Lys Asn                160              - #   165              - #   170                           - - TGG ATC CGC CCA TGT CCC TGG AAC TAT GGA CA - #G TTT GAA GAC AAA ATC           578                                                                        Trp Ile Arg Pro Cys Pro Trp Asn Tyr Gly Gl - #n Phe Glu Asp Lys Ile            175                 1 - #80                 1 - #85                 1 -       #90                                                                               - - ATA GAC ATC TGC CTG AAG CTG CTA GAC AAG AG - #C CTG CAC TTC CAG         ACT      626                                                                     Ile Asp Ile Cys Leu Lys Leu Leu Asp Lys Se - #r Leu His Phe Gln Thr                           195  - #               200  - #               205               - - GAC CCA GCC ACA GAC TGT GCT CTG CGG GGA AG - #C CCC GTC TAC GTC AGC           674                                                                        Asp Pro Ala Thr Asp Cys Ala Leu Arg Gly Se - #r Pro Val Tyr Val Ser                        210      - #           215      - #           220                   - - AGA GTG GTG TGT GCC ATG ATC AAC AGC AAT GA - #T GAT AAT GGG GTG CTC           722                                                                        Arg Val Val Cys Ala Met Ile Asn Ser Asn As - #p Asp Asn Gly Val Leu                    225          - #       230          - #       235                       - - AAT GGA AAC TGG AGT GAG AAT TAC ACA GAC GG - #C GCC AAC CCT GCG GAG           770                                                                        Asn Gly Asn Trp Ser Glu Asn Tyr Thr Asp Gl - #y Ala Asn Pro Ala Glu                240              - #   245              - #   250                           - - TGG ACG GGC AGC GTG GCC ATC CTG AAG CAG TG - #G AAC GCC ACA GGC TGC           818                                                                        Trp Thr Gly Ser Val Ala Ile Leu Lys Gln Tr - #p Asn Ala Thr Gly Cys            255                 2 - #60                 2 - #65                 2 -       #70                                                                               - - CAG CCC GTG CGC TAC GGG CAA TGC TGG GTC TT - #T GCT GCC GTC ATG         TGC      866                                                                     Gln Pro Val Arg Tyr Gly Gln Cys Trp Val Ph - #e Ala Ala Val Met Cys                           275  - #               280  - #               285               - - ACA GTG ATG AGG TGT CTG GGG ATC CCT ACC CG - #T GTG ATC ACC AAC TTC           914                                                                        Thr Val Met Arg Cys Leu Gly Ile Pro Thr Ar - #g Val Ile Thr Asn Phe                        290      - #           295      - #           300                   - - GAC TCT GGC CAC GAT ACA GAT GGA AAC CTG AT - #C ATA GAT GAG TAT TAT           962                                                                        Asp Ser Gly His Asp Thr Asp Gly Asn Leu Il - #e Ile Asp Glu Tyr Tyr                    305          - #       310          - #       315                       - - GAC AAC ACA GGC AGG ATT TTG GGG AAT AAG AA - #G AAG GAT ACT ATC TGG          1010                                                                        Asp Asn Thr Gly Arg Ile Leu Gly Asn Lys Ly - #s Lys Asp Thr Ile Trp                320              - #   325              - #   330                           - - AAC TTC CAT GTC TGG AAT GAG TGC TGG ATG GC - #C CGG AAG GAT CTG CCC          1058                                                                        Asn Phe His Val Trp Asn Glu Cys Trp Met Al - #a Arg Lys Asp Leu Pro            335                 3 - #40                 3 - #45                 3 -       #50                                                                               - - CCT GCA TAT GGA GGC TGG CAG GTG CTG GAC GC - #C ACA CCT CAG GAG         ATG     1106                                                                     Pro Ala Tyr Gly Gly Trp Gln Val Leu Asp Al - #a Thr Pro Gln Glu Met                           355  - #               360  - #               365               - - AGC AAC GGC GTC TAC TGC TGT GGC CCT GCC TC - #T GTC AGA GCC ATC AAA          1154                                                                        Ser Asn Gly Val Tyr Cys Cys Gly Pro Ala Se - #r Val Arg Ala Ile Lys                        370      - #           375      - #           380                   - - GAA GGA GAA GTG GAC CTG AAC TAT GAC ACG CC - #C TTT GTG TTT TCG ATG          1202                                                                        Glu Gly Glu Val Asp Leu Asn Tyr Asp Thr Pr - #o Phe Val Phe Ser Met                    385          - #       390          - #       395                       - - GTG AAT GCT GAC TGC ATG TCC TGG CTC GTC CA - #G GGA GGG AAG GAG CAG          1250                                                                        Val Asn Ala Asp Cys Met Ser Trp Leu Val Gl - #n Gly Gly Lys Glu Gln                400              - #   405              - #   410                           - - AAG CTT CAC CAG GAC ACG AGT TCT GTT GGC AA - #T TTT ATC AGC ACA AAG          1298                                                                        Lys Leu His Gln Asp Thr Ser Ser Val Gly As - #n Phe Ile Ser Thr Lys            415                 4 - #20                 4 - #25                 4 -       #30                                                                               - - AGC ATC CAG AGT GAC GAG CGG GAT GAC ATC AC - #A GAG AAC TAC AAG         TAT     1346                                                                     Ser Ile Gln Ser Asp Glu Arg Asp Asp Ile Th - #r Glu Asn Tyr Lys Tyr                           435  - #               440  - #               445               - - GAA GAA GGA TCC CTC CAG GAG AGG CAG GTG TT - #T CTG AAG GCT CTG CAG          1394                                                                        Glu Glu Gly Ser Leu Gln Glu Arg Gln Val Ph - #e Leu Lys Ala Leu Gln                        450      - #           455      - #           460                   - - AAG CTG AAG GCT AGA AGC TTC CAT GGC TCC CA - #A AGA GGA GCA GAG TTG          1442                                                                        Lys Leu Lys Ala Arg Ser Phe His Gly Ser Gl - #n Arg Gly Ala Glu Leu                    465          - #       470          - #       475                       - - CAA CCT TCC AGG CCC ACA TCA CTG AGC CAG GA - #C AGC CCT CGG AGC CTG          1490                                                                        Gln Pro Ser Arg Pro Thr Ser Leu Ser Gln As - #p Ser Pro Arg Ser Leu                480              - #   485              - #   490                           - - CAT ACA CCT TCC CTT CGA CCC AGT GAT GTG GT - #G CAA GTC TCC CTG AAA          1538                                                                        His Thr Pro Ser Leu Arg Pro Ser Asp Val Va - #l Gln Val Ser Leu Lys            495                 5 - #00                 5 - #05                 5 -       #10                                                                               - - TTC AAG CTG CTC GAC CCG CCC AAC ATG GGC CA - #G GAT ATA TGC TTT         GTC     1586                                                                     Phe Lys Leu Leu Asp Pro Pro Asn Met Gly Gl - #n Asp Ile Cys Phe Val                           515  - #               520  - #               525               - - CTG CTG GCC CTC AAC ATG TCC TCC CAG TTC AA - #G GAC CTC AAA GTG AAC          1634                                                                        Leu Leu Ala Leu Asn Met Ser Ser Gln Phe Ly - #s Asp Leu Lys Val Asn                        530      - #           535      - #           540                   - - CTG AGT GCC CAG TCT CTG CTG CAC GAT GGC AG - #C CCC CTG TCC CCA TTC          1682                                                                        Leu Ser Ala Gln Ser Leu Leu His Asp Gly Se - #r Pro Leu Ser Pro Phe                    545          - #       550          - #       555                       - - TGG CAG GAC ACA GCG TTC ATC ACA CTC TCT CC - #T AAA GAA GCA AAG ACC          1730                                                                        Trp Gln Asp Thr Ala Phe Ile Thr Leu Ser Pr - #o Lys Glu Ala Lys Thr                560              - #   565              - #   570                           - - TAC CCC TGC AAA ATC TCC TAT TCC CAG TAC AG - #C CAG TAC CTG TCA ACA          1778                                                                        Tyr Pro Cys Lys Ile Ser Tyr Ser Gln Tyr Se - #r Gln Tyr Leu Ser Thr            575                 5 - #80                 5 - #85                 5 -       #90                                                                               - - GAC AAG CTG ATC CGC ATC AGT GCC CTG GGT GA - #A GAG AAA AGC AGT         CCT     1826                                                                     Asp Lys Leu Ile Arg Ile Ser Ala Leu Gly Gl - #u Glu Lys Ser Ser Pro                           595  - #               600  - #               605               - - GAG AAA ATC CTG GTG AAC AAG ATC ATC ACC TT - #A TCT TAT CCA AGC ATC          1874                                                                        Glu Lys Ile Leu Val Asn Lys Ile Ile Thr Le - #u Ser Tyr Pro Ser Ile                        610      - #           615      - #           620                   - - ACG ATT AAT GTT CTA GGA GCA GCC GTT GTG AA - #C CAG CCA CTC TCC ATA          1922                                                                        Thr Ile Asn Val Leu Gly Ala Ala Val Val As - #n Gln Pro Leu Ser Ile                    625          - #       630          - #       635                       - - CAG GTG ATA TTT TCA AAC CCC CTC TCG GAG CA - #G GTT GAG GAC TGT GTG          1970                                                                        Gln Val Ile Phe Ser Asn Pro Leu Ser Glu Gl - #n Val Glu Asp Cys Val                640              - #   645              - #   650                           - - CTG ACT GTG GAA GGA AGT GGC CTC TTC AAG AA - #A CAG CAG AAA GTC TTC          2018                                                                        Leu Thr Val Glu Gly Ser Gly Leu Phe Lys Ly - #s Gln Gln Lys Val Phe            655                 6 - #60                 6 - #65                 6 -       #70                                                                               - - CTT GGA GTC CTC AAA CCC CAA CAC CAA GCA AG - #C ATC ATT CTG GAG         ACC     2066                                                                     Leu Gly Val Leu Lys Pro Gln His Gln Ala Se - #r Ile Ile Leu Glu Thr                           675  - #               680  - #               685               - - GTC CCC TTC AAG AGT GGA CAA AGG CAG ATC CA - #A GCT AAT ATG AGA AGC          2114                                                                        Val Pro Phe Lys Ser Gly Gln Arg Gln Ile Gl - #n Ala Asn Met Arg Ser                        690      - #           695      - #           700                   - - AAC AAG TTT AAG GAC ATT AAG GGT TAC AGG AA - #T GTT TAT GTA GAC TTT          2162                                                                        Asn Lys Phe Lys Asp Ile Lys Gly Tyr Arg As - #n Val Tyr Val Asp Phe                    705          - #       710          - #       715                       - - GCA TTA TAA ATTCTGGAAC AACGCGCCAG ACGTGTGAGT TTC  - #                       - #2204                                                                      Ala Leu  *                                                                         720                                                                         - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:48:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH:  720 ami - #no acids                                               (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein                                            - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:48:                               - - Met Ala Gln Gly Leu Glu Val Ala Leu Thr As - #p Leu Gln Ser Ser Arg         1               5 - #                 10 - #                 15               - - Asn Asn Val Arg His His Thr Glu Glu Ile Th - #r Val Asp His Leu Leu                    20     - #             25     - #             30                   - - Val Arg Arg Gly Gln Ala Phe Asn Leu Thr Le - #u Tyr Phe Arg Asn Arg                35         - #         40         - #         45                       - - Ser Phe Gln Pro Gly Leu Asp Asn Ile Ile Ph - #e Val Val Glu Thr Gly            50             - #     55             - #     60                           - - Pro Leu Ser Asp Leu Ala Leu Gly Thr Arg Al - #a Val Phe Ser Leu Ala        65                 - # 70                 - # 75                 - # 80        - - Arg His His Ser Pro Ser Pro Trp Ile Ala Tr - #p Leu Glu Thr Asn Gly                        85 - #                 90 - #                 95               - - Ala Thr Ser Thr Glu Val Ser Leu Cys Ala Pr - #o Pro Thr Ala Ala Val                   100      - #           105      - #           110                   - - Gly Arg Tyr Leu Leu Lys Ile His Ile Asp Se - #r Phe Gln Gly Ser Val               115          - #       120          - #       125                       - - Thr Ala Tyr Gln Leu Gly Glu Phe Ile Leu Le - #u Phe Asn Pro Trp Cys           130              - #   135              - #   140                           - - Pro Glu Asp Ala Val Tyr Leu Asp Ser Glu Pr - #o Gln Arg Gln Glu Tyr       145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -       #60                                                                               - - Val Met Asn Asp Tyr Gly Phe Ile Tyr Gln Gl - #y Ser Lys Asn Trp         Ile                                                                                              165  - #               170  - #               175              - - Arg Pro Cys Pro Trp Asn Tyr Gly Gln Phe Gl - #u Asp Lys Ile Ile Asp                   180      - #           185      - #           190                   - - Ile Cys Leu Lys Leu Leu Asp Lys Ser Leu Hi - #s Phe Gln Thr Asp Pro               195          - #       200          - #       205                       - - Ala Thr Asp Cys Ala Leu Arg Gly Ser Pro Va - #l Tyr Val Ser Arg Val           210              - #   215              - #   220                           - - Val Cys Ala Met Ile Asn Ser Asn Asp Asp As - #n Gly Val Leu Asn Gly       225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -       #40                                                                               - - Asn Trp Ser Glu Asn Tyr Thr Asp Gly Ala As - #n Pro Ala Glu Trp         Thr                                                                                              245  - #               250  - #               255              - - Gly Ser Val Ala Ile Leu Lys Gln Trp Asn Al - #a Thr Gly Cys Gln Pro                   260      - #           265      - #           270                   - - Val Arg Tyr Gly Gln Cys Trp Val Phe Ala Al - #a Val Met Cys Thr Val               275          - #       280          - #       285                       - - Met Arg Cys Leu Gly Ile Pro Thr Arg Val Il - #e Thr Asn Phe Asp Ser           290              - #   295              - #   300                           - - Gly His Asp Thr Asp Gly Asn Leu Ile Ile As - #p Glu Tyr Tyr Asp Asn       305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -       #20                                                                               - - Thr Gly Arg Ile Leu Gly Asn Lys Lys Lys As - #p Thr Ile Trp Asn         Phe                                                                                              325  - #               330  - #               335              - - His Val Trp Asn Glu Cys Trp Met Ala Arg Ly - #s Asp Leu Pro Pro Ala                   340      - #           345      - #           350                   - - Tyr Gly Gly Trp Gln Val Leu Asp Ala Thr Pr - #o Gln Glu Met Ser Asn               355          - #       360          - #       365                       - - Gly Val Tyr Cys Cys Gly Pro Ala Ser Val Ar - #g Ala Ile Lys Glu Gly           370              - #   375              - #   380                           - - Glu Val Asp Leu Asn Tyr Asp Thr Pro Phe Va - #l Phe Ser Met Val Asn       385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -       #00                                                                               - - Ala Asp Cys Met Ser Trp Leu Val Gln Gly Gl - #y Lys Glu Gln Lys         Leu                                                                                              405  - #               410  - #               415              - - His Gln Asp Thr Ser Ser Val Gly Asn Phe Il - #e Ser Thr Lys Ser Ile                   420      - #           425      - #           430                   - - Gln Ser Asp Glu Arg Asp Asp Ile Thr Glu As - #n Tyr Lys Tyr Glu Glu               435          - #       440          - #       445                       - - Gly Ser Leu Gln Glu Arg Gln Val Phe Leu Ly - #s Ala Leu Gln Lys Leu           450              - #   455              - #   460                           - - Lys Ala Arg Ser Phe His Gly Ser Gln Arg Gl - #y Ala Glu Leu Gln Pro       465                 4 - #70                 4 - #75                 4 -       #80                                                                               - - Ser Arg Pro Thr Ser Leu Ser Gln Asp Ser Pr - #o Arg Ser Leu His         Thr                                                                                              485  - #               490  - #               495              - - Pro Ser Leu Arg Pro Ser Asp Val Val Gln Va - #l Ser Leu Lys Phe Lys                   500      - #           505      - #           510                   - - Leu Leu Asp Pro Pro Asn Met Gly Gln Asp Il - #e Cys Phe Val Leu Leu               515          - #       520          - #       525                       - - Ala Leu Asn Met Ser Ser Gln Phe Lys Asp Le - #u Lys Val Asn Leu Ser           530              - #   535              - #   540                           - - Ala Gln Ser Leu Leu His Asp Gly Ser Pro Le - #u Ser Pro Phe Trp Gln       545                 5 - #50                 5 - #55                 5 -       #60                                                                               - - Asp Thr Ala Phe Ile Thr Leu Ser Pro Lys Gl - #u Ala Lys Thr Tyr         Pro                                                                                              565  - #               570  - #               575              - - Cys Lys Ile Ser Tyr Ser Gln Tyr Ser Gln Ty - #r Leu Ser Thr Asp Lys                   580      - #           585      - #           590                   - - Leu Ile Arg Ile Ser Ala Leu Gly Glu Glu Ly - #s Ser Ser Pro Glu Lys               595          - #       600          - #       605                       - - Ile Leu Val Asn Lys Ile Ile Thr Leu Ser Ty - #r Pro Ser Ile Thr Ile           610              - #   615              - #   620                           - - Asn Val Leu Gly Ala Ala Val Val Asn Gln Pr - #o Leu Ser Ile Gln Val       625                 6 - #30                 6 - #35                 6 -       #40                                                                               - - Ile Phe Ser Asn Pro Leu Ser Glu Gln Val Gl - #u Asp Cys Val Leu         Thr                                                                                              645  - #               650  - #               655              - - Val Glu Gly Ser Gly Leu Phe Lys Lys Gln Gl - #n Lys Val Phe Leu Gly                   660      - #           665      - #           670                   - - Val Leu Lys Pro Gln His Gln Ala Ser Ile Il - #e Leu Glu Thr Val Pro               675          - #       680          - #       685                       - - Phe Lys Ser Gly Gln Arg Gln Ile Gln Ala As - #n Met Arg Ser Asn Lys           690              - #   695              - #   700                           - - Phe Lys Asp Ile Lys Gly Tyr Arg Asn Val Ty - #r Val Asp Phe Ala Leu       705                 7 - #10                 7 - #15                 7 -       #20                                                                               - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:49:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 20 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:49:                               - - TGGTGCCCAG GTGAGCCACA            - #                  - #                       - # 20                                                                   - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:50:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 11 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:50:                               - - CGGATGCTGT G               - #                  - #                       - #       11                                                                    - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:51:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 20 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:51:                               - - TGGCTGAATG GTAGGTGTCT            - #                  - #                       - # 20                                                                    - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:52:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 21 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:52:                               - - TATCAAATAG TGGATAGCGT C           - #                  - #                       - #21                                                                    - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:53:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 20 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:53:                               - - TGGAATAGAG GTAAGTTTGA            - #                  - #                       - # 20                                                                    - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:54:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 21 base - #pairs                                                   (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: double                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:54:                               - - CTCTCACCAG AGGATGCTGT G           - #                  - #                       - #21                                                                  __________________________________________________________________________ 

We claim:
 1. An oligonucleotide primer selected from the group of primers consisting of degenerate primers D1 (SEQ ID NO:13), D2 (SEQ ID NO:26), D3 (SEQ ID NO:34), D4 (SEQ ID NO:35), specific primers S1 (SEQ ID NO:36), S2 (SEQ ID NO:37), S3 (SEQ ID NO:38), S4 (SEQ ID NO:39), S5 (SEQ ID NO:40), S6 (SEQ ID NO:41), S7 (SEQ ID NO:42), S8 (SEQ ID NO:43), S9 (SEQ ID NO:44), 5'-TGCAGAAGCTGAAGGCTAGAAGC-3' (SEQ ID NO:27) and 5'-CCACATCACTGGGTCGAAGGGAAGG-3' (SEQ ID NO:28).
 2. A method for determining whether an expressed transglutaminase gene belongs to a transglutaminase gene type, the method comprising the steps of:amplifying a transglutaminase-specific DNA fragment from cellular messenger RNA that encodes the expressed transglutaminase gene; and determining whether the fragment includes a restriction endonuclease cleavage site characteristic of the transglutaminase gene type.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the amplifying step comprises the steps ofreverse transcribing messenger RNA that encodes a transglutaminase protein to make cDNA; and combining the cDNA with a pair of degenerate oligonucleotide primers that amplify a conserved region of a gene that encodes a transglutaminase protein in a polymerase chain reaction amplification reaction to produce an amplified transglutaminase-specific DNA fragment.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the pair of degenerate oligonucleotide primers are primers D1 (SEQ ID NO:13) and D2 (SEQ ID NO:26).
 5. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the determining step is accomplished using a method selected from the group consisting of nucleic acid sequence analysis and restriction enzyme cleavage analysis.
 6. A method for amplifying a nucleic acid molecule that encodes a portion of transglutaminase X, the method comprising the steps of:hybridizing nucleic acid to a pair of oligonucleotide primers having nucleotide sequences 5'-TGCAGAAGCTGAAGGCTAGAAGC-3' (SEQ ID NO:27) and 5'-CCACATCACTGGGTCGAAGGGAAGG-3' (SEQ ID NO:28); and amplifying a nucleic acid sequence between the primers in a PCR amplification reaction.
 7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the nucleic acid to be amplified is selected from the group consisting of genomic DNA and cDNA.
 8. A method for amplifying a nucleic acid molecule that encodes a portion of transglutaminase X, the method comprising the steps of:hybridizing the nucleic acid molecule to oligonucleotide primer S9 (SEQ ID NO:44) and to an oligonucleotide primer selected from the group consisting of S4 (SEQ ID NO:39) and S5 (SEQ ID NO:40); and amplifying a nucleic acid sequence between the primers in a PCR amplification reaction.
 9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the nucleic acid to be amplified is a cDNA.
 10. An isolated preparation of nucleic acid comprising a coding portion of SEQ ID NO:47.
 11. An isolated preparation of nucleic acid as claimed in claim 10 comprising bases 1390-1521 of SEQ ID NO:47.
 12. An isolated preparation of nucleic acid as claimed in claim 10 comprising bases 975-998 of SEQ ID NO:47.
 13. A polynucleotide comprising in 5' to 3' order, a transcription initiator, a translatable nucleic acid sequence comprising a sequence that encodes transglutaminase X, said translatable nucleic acid sequence comprising a sequence selected from bases 1390-1521 of SEQ ID NO:47 and bases 975-998 of SEQ ID NO:47, and a transcriptional terminator.
 14. A method for expressing transglutaminase X in a cell, the method comprising the step of:delivering into the cell a polynucleotide comprising in 5' to 3' order, a transcription initiator, a translatable nucleic acid sequence that encodes transglutaminase X, said translatable nucleic acid sequence comprising a sequence selected from bases 1390-1521 of SEQ ID NO:47 and bases 975-998 of SEQ ID NO:47, and a transcriptional terminator; translating the nucleic acid sequence to produce transglutaminase X. 